Editor’s picks: Committing to sustainability

Take a look at this week’s can’t-miss SeafoodSource news stories:

• Many European and North American retailers are developing and implementing sustainable seafood purchasing policies, but few have been as progressive and committed as upmarket British retailer Marks & Spencer. This week, SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Jason Holland interviewed Richard Luney, wild fish and aquaculture manager for Marks & Spencer, about his new role at the company, working with the World Wildlife Fund and the retailer’s new Passionate about Seafood campaign. The interview ran in two parts. Click here for part one and here for part two.

• Canada’s largest food retailer on Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of its sustainable seafood commitment with an update on its progress, including its pledge to source only sustainable seafood by 2013. So far, so good, declared Loblaw. Among the retailer’s accomplishments are increasing the number of Marine Stewardship Council-certified seafood products it sells to 16 and phasing out “at-risk species” including Chilean sea bass, shark and skate.

• Sustainable seafood is top of mind for politicians as well as retailers. Maria Damanaki, Europe’s new fisheries commissioner, on Monday reaffirmed her commitment to sustainable fisheries, saying a tougher method must be applied to setting fishing quotas and days at sea to progress toward “responsible fishing.” The European Commission is re-evaluating how it acts on scientific advice on the status of fish stocks when proposing catch limits. Critics of the existing setup say nations’ interests often take precedence over sustainability and overfishing concerns.

• It’s just a request, but U.S. Rep. Eni Faleomavaega’s suggestion that canned tuna from Thailand is being dumped in the U.S. market may ignite a political firestorm. The American Samoa legislator asked the U.S. Department of Commerce to open an antidumping investigation. Faleomavaega’s comments as StarKist sheds 600 to 800 jobs at its American Samoa tuna cannery. StarKist and Chicken of the Sea, which closed its American Samoa tuna cannery last year, point to the 2007 federal law mandating a minimum wage increase, which they say has made it difficult to compete with workers’ wages in Thailand and other countries.

• Governments worldwide must do a better job emphasizing the health benefits of eating seafood, particularly the benefits to the heart and brain, the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization declared in a joint report on Wednesday. The report is significant because, for the first time, it provides a framework for governments on how to provide seafood consumption advice, according to the National Fisheries Institute, calling it a “critical turning point.” For the United States, the report’s timing is ideal because nutrition experts are working to update the nation’s dietary guidelines this year.

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